Washington keeps reaching for the same failed solution in health care: bigger subsidies for a system that is already too expensive and too insurer-driven. That approach took a hit last week when the U.S. Senate rejected an extension of the COVID-era Obamacare “super subsidies.” The vote was a reminder that affordability will not be fixed by writing bigger checks to big insurance companies. Real reform has to start with empowering patients. As reported by the Associated Press

Families need real relief from high health-care costs. They are tired of Washington’s habit of pouring more Obamacare tax dollars into a system that keeps getting more expensive. There is a better way. A new five-point platform from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity shows how we can make care more affordable without writing bigger checks to Big Insurance. Their plan is simple and targeted. It focuses on giving patients more control, expanding choices, and opening the syste

Families expect federal programs to follow basic rules. They expect taxpayer money to be protected. They expect the government to check whether a person is who they say they are. This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed that the Obamacare marketplace is failing that test in stunning fashion. GAO released the results of a covert audit that should alarm every lawmaker. Investigators created four completely fictitious identities and attempted to enroll them

A new investigation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) should be a wake-up call for anyone who still thinks Obamacare is working as promised. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman  Jason Smith highlighted the findings in a recent appearance on CNBC , and the results are hard to ignore. Fake applicants were approved. Dead enrollees kept receiving subsidized coverage. One Social Security number was tied to more than 125 different insurance policies. That is not

Patients deserve a prescription drug market that is open, honest, and affordable. For too long, pharmacy benefit managers have operated behind a wall of secrecy that hides how they make money and why drug costs keep climbing. The bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Price Transparency and Accountability Act , introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo, offers a clear path to fixing that. This bill tackles one of the biggest drivers of high drug pric

Washington has a chance to deliver real relief to families who are struggling with high prices and limited choices. Last year’s reconciliation bill made some progress, but it did not finish the job. The Republican Study Committee is right to call this moment what it is: an opportunity to lead and to deliver on the promises made to hardworking families. A second reconciliation bill should focus on three priorities. We need further tax relief. We need patient-centered health c

The Wall Street Journal reports that Speaker Johnson is signaling caution toward a push to extend the COVID-era boost to Obamacare premium subsidies. That caution is warranted. These subsidies were created as a temporary response to the pandemic, and they should expire on schedule. Conservatives are right to oppose any attempt to extend them. If a program was created as a short-term emergency expense, it needs to remain short term. For years, both parties have papered over f

Britain now plans to spend more on new medicines so it can keep tariff-free access to the U.S. market. That simple tradeoff marks real progress. President Trump is pushing a clear message: the era of foreign freeloading on American drug innovation is ending. For years, U.S. patients and taxpayers have shouldered the cost of developing new cures while other countries imposed strict price controls and paid far less. The Wall Street Journal reports that the UK agreed to higher

Families want a real path to savings, investment, and long-term opportunity. Trump Accounts offer that path, and support for the idea is growing. A recent CNBC report highlighted a major commitment from Michael and Susan Dell to help seed these accounts for millions of children. Their $6.25 billion donation would give 25 million kids an early start on wealth building. The Dell commitment shows that serious private leaders see real potential in Trump Accounts. When investors

The U.S. House is set to vote this week on H.R. 4312, the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. This is a chance to bring clarity and common sense to name, image, and likeness rules in college sports, an area that has become chaotic and inconsistent without a national framework. Center for a Free Economy organized a coalition letter urging House leadership to pass the SCORE Act. Many conservative groups joined because student-athlet

The Federal Reserve took an important step by acknowledging that its supervisory process has grown too dense to be useful. That is a welcome shift toward clarity and restraint. The Fed now says banks may not need a 47-page checklist to prove they are doing basic banking. The Associated Press covered the change here . The point is straightforward. More forms do not make the system safer. Clear priorities do. Efficiency is a risk-management tool, and regulators are finally trea

Families are stretched thin. Every trip to the grocery store or gas station reminds them that the cost of living climbed faster than their paychecks. So here is one piece of good news that Congress should not ignore: Tax refunds are on track to rise in 2026. A new study from Piper Sandler, using data from the Joint Committee on Taxation, shows what is coming. For the 2026 tax filing season, taxpayers are expected to take home an additional $91 billion in refunds. Workers will

Families feel the squeeze every time they shop for groceries, buy school supplies, or pay the monthly bills. Politicians promised that new tariffs would bring back jobs, lower costs, and shrink the trade deficit. They said tariffs were the cure. They were not. The numbers tell the real story. Creative Planning looked at U.S. trade data through the first eight months of each year. In 2024, America ran a $571 billion  trade deficit. One year later, that deficit did not shrink.

Most families feel squeezed every time they look at their health insurance bill. Premiums keep climbing, choices keep shrinking, and Washington keeps pretending that Obamacare is the only game in town. It is not. Congress can act right now to make health insurance about 60 percent less expensive for millions of people. The solution already exists. Lawmakers only need to lock it in. A few years ago, the Trump administration created a regulation that allowed people to buy short

Two dozen conservative groups sent the following letter to Congressional leadership. The text of the letter is below: The undersigned...

The following letter (signed by over 40 conservative groups including the Center for a Free Economy, Americans for Tax Reform, National...

Endorsement letter is here . The Center for a Free Economy is pleased to endorse H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).” The...

The U.S. House of Representatives is gearing up to pass the "One, Big, Beautiful" budget reconciliation bill. It's a conservative bill...

This week, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee passed out of committee tax reform legislation to make permanent and broaden the Tax...

This week, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee will advance tax reform legislation to make permanent and broaden the Tax Cuts and...